In the mining field, and in other fields in which large volumes of materials must be collected and removed from a work site, it is typical to employ industrial machines including a large dipper for shoveling the materials from the work site. Industrial machines, such as electric rope or power shovels, draglines, etc., are used to execute digging operations to remove material from, for example, a bank of a mine. Electric rope shovels typically include a shovel boom, a handle pivotally extending from the boom and supporting the dipper, and a sheave or pulley rotatably supported on the boom. The handle is driven by a crowd drive mechanism including, among other components, a crowd motor, belt, sheaves, gearing, etc. A hoist rope extends around the sheave or pulley and is connected to the shovel dipper to raise and lower the dipper, thereby producing an efficient digging motion to excavate the bank of material.
During operation, as a shovel operator crowds out the dipper handle (i.e., moves the dipper handle away from the industrial machine) to the bank, the operator oftentimes requests full speed from the crowd motor. Impacting the bank of material results in the dipper abruptly stopping. Specifically, the dipper and the handle come to a physical stop while the crowd motor continues to provide torque in an attempt to maintain the requested speed. In addition, all the inertia in the industrial machine drives the system forward. The forces generated by the system inertia and the abrupt stop of the dipper result in boom jacking. Boom jacking is a kick back of the entire boom due to excess crowd reaction forces. The boom jacking or kick back caused by the crowd reaction forces oftentimes results in the industrial machine tipping in a rearward direction (i.e., a tipping moment or center-of-gravity [“CG”] excursion away from the bank). Such tipping moments introduce cyclical stresses on the industrial machine and its components, which can cause weld cracking and other strains. The degree to which the industrial machine is tipped in either the forward or rearward directions impacts the structural fatigue that the industrial machine experiences. Limiting boom jacking and the maximum forward and/or rearward tipping moments of the industrial machine thus increases the operational life of the industrial machine.